Then David said to the whole assembly, “Praise the Lord your God.” So they all praised the Lord, the God of their fathers; they bowed down, prostrating themselves before the Lord and the king.
What I find sad is that very few Christians practice prostration before God nowadays. It's one of the best way to show Him our obedience and to cultivate humbleness. Prostrations are virtually unheard of among Protestants. Among Catholics, perhaps monks do them and, at their installation ceremony, priests. Orthodox faithful do it all the time, whether as part of their personal canon of repentance or, commonly, as part of the prayers before each Communion. A sad Orthodox
I agree, and recently wrote a post on more or less the same subject (look up 'kowtow'). It boils down to the arrogant pride of our time when kneeling, bowing or even a glorified nod of the head is seen as "humiliating" obeisance. It is only one area in which the Orthodox have set an example by holding fast to the traditions of the Church. Unfortunately, even the Orthodox Churches are not perfect in this regard but it is the only place where these customs are upheld and -I might add, it is only in Orthodox countries (AFAIK) that the more vociferous anti-Christian rabble are actually met on the streets with firm opposition.
What I find sad is that very few Christians practice prostration before God nowadays. It's one of the best way to show Him our obedience and to cultivate humbleness. Prostrations are virtually unheard of among Protestants. Among Catholics, perhaps monks do them and, at their installation ceremony, priests. Orthodox faithful do it all the time, whether as part of their personal canon of repentance or, commonly, as part of the prayers before each Communion.
ReplyDeleteA sad Orthodox
I agree, and recently wrote a post on more or less the same subject (look up 'kowtow'). It boils down to the arrogant pride of our time when kneeling, bowing or even a glorified nod of the head is seen as "humiliating" obeisance. It is only one area in which the Orthodox have set an example by holding fast to the traditions of the Church. Unfortunately, even the Orthodox Churches are not perfect in this regard but it is the only place where these customs are upheld and -I might add, it is only in Orthodox countries (AFAIK) that the more vociferous anti-Christian rabble are actually met on the streets with firm opposition.
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